All you need is love and food. Your wedding should offer both. Cocktail hour is a crucial time for guests to whet their appetites before they sit down for the wedding feast.
Typically running after the ceremony, cocktail hour is a perfect time for guest to mingle while enjoying some delicious dishes. Beyond just lining stomachs, it sets the tone for the rest of the evening. Whether you want to go big with fancy finger foods or prefer the more modest morsel, these appetisers are sure to get your mouth watering.
Pretzels:
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Popcorn:
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Feta and watermelon skewers:
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Charcuterie:
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Ice-lollies:
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Mini-tacos:
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Fries:
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Crostini:
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Fish fingers:
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Chicken skewers:
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Sliders:
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Milk and cookies:
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Arancini pops:
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Image: Unsplash
We all know how expensive weddings and honeymoons can be. As amazing as your big day might have been, your bank account will probably not love you for…
When we marry, its with the intention of being with someone forever. But for some, that forever is cut short at the blink of an eye. Such is the story of Vanessa Lanktree and her late husband and best friend, high school sweetheart Eric. Years after his passing, Vanessa honours her late husband in a touching annual photoshoot.
Canadians Vanessa and Eric met back in 2006 when they were still in high school. They fell in love, and in 2011, firefighter Eric proposed to Vanessa on Christmas Eve.
“He was my first boyfriend, my first love,” Vanessa told SWNS. “Our relationship through the years was so strong because it started so young. I had no doubt about our lives together.”
They married on September 8, 2012 in a beautiful church ceremony.
“As I walked down the aisle with my dad, Eric was bawling his eyes out,” she said. “I already knew I wanted to marry him but when I saw him crying, I thought how lucky I was.”
Two years after their wedding, however, tragedy struck. Eric was killed in a head-on collision with a truck in November 2014 while he was making his way home from a vacation in Vegas. He passed away soon after the impact, before Vanessa could even make it to the hospital.
“I felt like I was the only one at that age that had lost somebody that young like their husband,” she told CBC News. “Our lives had just started — it takes time to finally feel like you’re not in a cloud anymore.”
Years later, on the day after what would have been the couple’s four year anniversary, Vanessa suddenly decided to don her wedding dress again. In her dress, she danced around her kitchen to their wedding song, Keith Urban’s “Making Memories Of Us”. Putting her dress on again was a cathartic experience, one that soon became an annual tradition.
“It has felt so good to put my dress on,” Lanktree told CBC News. “I love putting it on and just felt good and I felt good in it that day and I still feel good.”
“Grief doesn’t go away but somehow you find little things to help you cope, like putting on your dress,” she said to SWNS. “Most people get to go out with their husband for supper or a date night on their anniversary, and this is my thing that I get to do without him.”
Putting her dress on became a symbol of an incredible relationship and marriage, and a way to honour their time together. Vanessa says that she will most likely do this yearly for the rest of her life.
She has since found love again and her boyfriend, Kurtis Isbister, is very supportive. This year, he took pictures of her in her wedding dress whilst in a sunflower field.
Vanessa hopes that this tradition inspires others to deal with their grief and live their life to the fullest.
“Eric would have wanted me to continue on with life and find some happiness somewhere,” Lanktree said. “The thing is to somehow find a way that you can honour that person. You can still find a little bit of happiness.”
Image: Vanessa Lanktree
The Rugby World Cup fever overtook us all these past few weeks. One South African in particular was feeling the spirit, and made a big promise. A single…
Wedding dress codes can be difficult to interpret, but don’t worry, we will guide you through what to wear to a wedding with a casual dress code.
A casual dress code is appropriate for an outdoor wedding. Wear something comfortable while keeping your outfit sophisticated. While this dress code is the most laid-back option for a wedding, it is still a wedding and therefore jeans should not be considered.
Here are a few outfit options that would work for a casual wedding:
Men
Pair a polo or button-down shirt with dress pants, chinos or khakis and boat shoes. Brown shoes are also acceptable at a casual wedding.
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Women
Wear a sundress or a pretty blouse, or perhaps a cute sweater if it’s chilly, with a skirt or dress pants. Keep embellishments to a minimum. Pair your outfit with sandals or a pair of wedges.
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Feature image: Unsplash
Flappers, fringe and fancies, oh my. The 1920s characterised the Jazz Age, a time of lush decadence. Dubbed art-deco, this time period featured geometric shapes, mixed metallics and…
Theirs was a classic tale. Two people from different sides of the track met and fell in love. Fast forward a few years, and they have become a power couple. Siya and Rachel Kolisi share a truly South African love story, one of love with trials and tribulations. This is how it all began.
When Siya met Rachel:
Siya and Rachel met at a dinner party in Stellenbosch back in 2012. They soon became friends, but Siya always liked Rachel. He eventually plucked up the nerve to ask her out, an experience he has described as scary. “I knew I liked her and had to tell her,” he wrote on their wedding website. “It was scary. I asked her to lunch and that’s when I told her. She played hard to get in the beginning, but eventually admitted it as well. The rest is history. We have a beautiful family and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with her.”
Family first:
Siya and Rachel have a big, blended family. Their first son, Nicholas Siyamthanda, was born in 2015. Their second child, daughter Keziah, was born in 2017.
Siya’s young half-siblings Liyema and Liphelo also live with the family. Siya and his siblings share a mother who unfortunately passed away in 2009, causing both Liyema and Liphelo to bounce from orphanages and foster homes for years until Siya and Rachel were financially able to adopt them in 2014.
Because of Siya’s busy schedule, Rachel left behind her career as an event manager and marketing executive to become a full-time mother to their four kids.
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Will you marry me?
The couple became engaged whilst sky high. Siya popped the question during a helicopter ride over Cape Town.
They married on August 13, 2016 with a beautiful ceremony in Franschhoek that had many South African athletes and other notable attendees present, such as Aisha Baker. Top Billing was on hand to capture their journey to the aisle. Watch their wedding insert below:
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https://www.instagram.com/p/BK5SLA9BoVX/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Highs and lows:
Their relationship has not been without difficulties. Throughout their longterm relationship, the couple have been subject to much racial abuse from members of the public.
Rachel has also taken to social media after women have reportedly tried to interfere in her marriage. In response to a woman saying Siya was her type, Rachel tweeted,”Siya is not ‘a type’. He’s a married man responsible for four children. Just a side note. I’ve been there for all the good times. But I’ve also been there for ALL the bad times. Honestly, this should go without saying. Respect my relationship and woman to woman. Respect me.”
She has also publicly spoken out about women trying to reach out to her husband via social media, including a fitness model that sent Siya provocative photos via Instagram.
A national hero:
From his humble beginnings in Zwide township outside Port Elizabeth to representing the nation at the Rugby World Cup, Siya’s rugby journey has taken him to heights he never imagined. In 2018, Siya became South Africa’s 61st skipper and the first black African to assume the role. Most recently he led the Springboks to victory at the 2019 Rugby World Cup and brought the trophy back home, a third time for SA. His success will certainly inspire a new generation of South African athletes.
Of course, his family was there every step of the way to cheer him on.
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Image: Instagram / Siya Kolisi